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Savina A, Zverev I, Moroshkina N. Examining interpersonal metacognitive monitoring in artificial grammar learning. Conscious Cogn 2024; 122:103707. [PMID: 38823317 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
This study investigates the observers' ability to monitor the ongoing cognitive processes of a partner who is implicitly learning an artificial grammar. Our hypothesis posits that learners experience metacognitive feelings as they attempt to apply their implicit knowledge, and that observers are capable of detecting and interpreting these feelings as cues of the learner's cognitive state. For instance, learners might encounter affective signals linked to cognitive conflicts and errors at different processing stages, which observers can construe as manifestations of the learner's cognitive dissonance. The research involved 126 participants organized into dyads, with one participant acting as a learner, and the other as an observer. The observer's task was to judge whether the learner agrees with the information presented (consonance judgment) and was limited to reading the learner's nonverbal signals to avoid explicit mindreading. The findings suggest that observers possess mindreading abilities, enabling them to detect both learners' confidence and accuracy in stimuli classification. This extends our understanding of non-verbal mindreading capabilities and indicates that observers can effectively interpret early implicit metacognitive information, even in the absence of explicit self-evaluation from the learners. This research offers significant insights into how individuals interpret others' mental states during implicit learning tasks, particularly in the context of utilizing early affective cues within the Artificial Grammar Learning paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Savina
- Institute for Cognitive Studies, Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia.
| | - Ilya Zverev
- Institute for Cognitive Studies, Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia; Laboratory for Cognitive Research, HSE University, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Nadezhda Moroshkina
- Institute for Cognitive Studies, Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia.
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Yoo J, Jasko K, Winkielman P. Fluency, prediction and motivation: how processing dynamics, expectations and epistemic goals shape aesthetic judgements. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230326. [PMID: 38104614 PMCID: PMC10725759 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
What psychological mechanisms underlie aesthetic judgements? An influential account known as the Hedonic Marking of Fluency, later developed into a Processing Fluency Theory of Aesthetic Pleasure, posits that ease of processing elicits positive feelings and thus enhances stimulus evaluations. However, the theory faces empirical and conceptual challenges. In this paper, we extend it by integrating insights from predictive processing frameworks (PPF) and the epistemic motivation model (EMM). We propose four extensions. First, fluency of a stimulus depends on perceivers' expectations-their internal model of the world. Second, perceivers also form expectations about fluency itself and thus can experience surprising fluency. These expectations can come from the individual's history, their current task and their environment. Third, perceivers can value fluency but also disfluency, reflecting their non-directional epistemic goals. Fourth, perceivers also have directional epistemic goals, preferring specific conclusions or belief content. Consequently, affective reactions depend on whether the stimulus satisfies those goals. These directional epistemic goals may override concerns about fluency or change the value of fluency associated with specific content. We review supporting evidence and introduce novel predictions. By integrating insights from PPF and EMM, our framework can better capture established fluency effects and highlights their limitations and extensions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Art, aesthetics and predictive processing: theoretical and empirical perspectives'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Yoo
- Department of Psychology, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0109, USA
| | - Katarzyna Jasko
- Jagiellonian University, Institute of Psychology, Ingardena 6, 30-060 Krakow, Poland
| | - Piotr Winkielman
- Department of Psychology, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0109, USA
- SWPS University, Chodakowska 19/31, 03-815 Warsaw, Poland
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3
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Tulver K, Kaup KK, Laukkonen R, Aru J. Restructuring insight: An integrative review of insight in problem-solving, meditation, psychotherapy, delusions and psychedelics. Conscious Cogn 2023; 110:103494. [PMID: 36913839 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Occasionally, a solution or idea arrives as a sudden understanding - an insight. Insight has been considered an "extra" ingredient of creative thinking and problem-solving. Here we propose that insight is central in seemingly distinct areas of research. Drawing on literature from a variety of fields, we show that besides being commonly studied in problem-solving literature, insight is also a core component in psychotherapy and meditation, a key process underlying the emergence of delusions in schizophrenia, and a factor in the therapeutic effects of psychedelics. In each case, we discuss the event of insight and its prerequisites and consequences. We review evidence for the commonalities and differences between the fields and discuss their relevance for capturing the essence of the insight phenomenon. The goal of this integrative review is to bridge the gap between the different views and inspire interdisciplinary research efforts for understanding this central process of human cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kadi Tulver
- Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Estonia.
| | | | | | - Jaan Aru
- Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Estonia.
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von Hecker U, Hanel PHP, Jin Z, Winkielman P. Self-generated cognitive fluency: consequences on evaluative judgments. Cogn Emot 2023; 37:254-270. [PMID: 36706229 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2022.2161482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACTPeople can support abstract reasoning by using mental models with spatial simulations. Such models are employed when people represent elements in terms of ordered dimensions (e.g. who is oldest, Tom, Dick, or Harry). We test and find that the process of forming and using such mental models can influence the liking of its elements (e.g. Tom, Dick, or Harry). The presumed internal structure of such models (linear-transitive array of elements), generates variations in processing ease (fluency) when using the model in working memory (see the Symbolic Distance Effect, SDE). Specifically, processing of pairs where elements have larger distances along the order should be easier compared to pairs with smaller distances. Elements from easier pairs should be liked more than elements from difficult pairs (fluency being hedonically positive). Experiment 1 shows that unfamiliar ideographs are liked more when at wider distances and therefore easier to process. Experiment 2 replicates this effect with non-words. Experiment 3 rules out a non-spatial explanation of the effect while Experiments 4 offers a high-powered replication. Experiment 5 shows that the spatial effect spontaneously emerges after learning, even without a task that explicitly focuses on fluency. Experiment 6 employed a shorter array, but yielded no significant results.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul H P Hanel
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Essex, UK
| | - Zixi Jin
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Piotr Winkielman
- University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.,SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
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5
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Wainio-Theberge S, Armony JL. Antisocial and impulsive personality traits are linked to individual differences in somatosensory maps of emotion. Sci Rep 2023; 13:675. [PMID: 36635384 PMCID: PMC9837047 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27880-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Somatosensory experience is an important component of emotion, playing a prominent role in many traditional emotion theories. Nonetheless, and despite the extensive literature on the influence of individual differences in emotional processing, the relation between personality traits and emotion-related somatosensation has received little attention. Here, we addressed this question in a large sample of healthy individuals through the "bodily maps of emotion" behavioural paradigm, in which participants indicated the location and extent of their body sensations for the 6 basic and 4 additional social emotions (contempt, envy, pride, shame). We found that emotional somatosensation in specific body areas, including the heart, the stomach, and the head, was related to specific personality factors, particularly antisocial attitudes and impulsivity. Moreover, the similarity of individual participants' maps to the group-average was likewise negatively correlated with antisocial tendencies. Overall, our results suggest that differences in individuals' sensitivity to somatosensation from different body areas, as well as the typicality of their topographical patterns, may partly underlie variation in higher-order social and affective traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soren Wainio-Theberge
- grid.412078.80000 0001 2353 5268Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle boulevard, Verdun, QC H4H 1R3, Canada ,grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
| | - Jorge L. Armony
- grid.412078.80000 0001 2353 5268Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle boulevard, Verdun, QC H4H 1R3, Canada ,grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada ,grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
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Unkelbach C, Alves H, Baldwin M, Crusius J, Diel K, Galinsky AD, Gast A, Hofmann W, Imhoff R, Genschow O, Lammers J, Pauels E, Schneider I, Topolinski S, Westfal M, Mussweiler T. Relativity in Social Cognition: Basic processes and novel applications of social comparisons. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/10463283.2022.2161043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Hans Alves
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bocham, Germany
| | - Matthew Baldwin
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainsville, FL, USA
| | - Jan Crusius
- School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Kathi Diel
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bocham, Germany
| | | | - Anne Gast
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Wilhelm Hofmann
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bocham, Germany
| | - Roland Imhoff
- Department of Psychology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Oliver Genschow
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Joris Lammers
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Eileen Pauels
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Iris Schneider
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sascha Topolinski
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Mareike Westfal
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Chamberlin DE. The Active Inference Model of Coherence Therapy. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 16:955558. [PMID: 36684841 PMCID: PMC9845783 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.955558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Coherence Therapy is an empirically derived experiential psychotherapy based on Psychological Constructivism. Symptoms are viewed as necessary output from an implicit model of the world. The therapist curates experiences and directs attention toward discovering the model. Rendered explicit, the model is juxtaposed with contradictory knowledge driving memory re-consolidation with resolution of the symptom. The Bayesian Brain views perception and action as inferential processes. Prior beliefs are combined in a generative model to explain the hidden causes of sensations through a process of Active Inference. Prior beliefs that are poor fits to the real world are suboptimal. Suboptimal priors with optimal inference produce Bayes Optimal Pathology with behavioral symptoms. The Active Inference Model of Coherence Therapy posits that Coherence Therapy is a dyadic act of therapist guided Active Inference that renders the (probable) hidden causes of a client's behavior conscious. The therapist's sustained attention on the goal of inference helps to overcome memory control bias against retrieval of the affectively charged suboptimal prior. Serial experiences cue memory retrieval and re-instantiation of the physiological/affective state that necessitates production of the symptom in a particular context. As this process continues there is a break in modularity with assimilation into broader networks of experience. Typically, the symptom produced by optimal inference with the suboptimal prior is experienced as unnecessary/inappropriate when taken out of the particular context. The implicit construct has been re-represented and rendered consciously accessible, by a more complex but more accurate model in which the symptom is necessary in some contexts but not others. There is an experience of agency and control in symptom creation, accompanied by the spontaneous production of context appropriate behavior. The capacity for inference has been restored. The Active Inference Model of Coherence Therapy provides a framework for Coherence Therapy as a computational process which can serve as the basis for new therapeutic interventions and experimental designs integrating biological, cognitive, behavioral, and environmental factors.
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Gusmão B, Löffler CS, Topolinski S. The impact of horizontal and vertical Luminance SNARC compatibility on affective judgments. Cogn Emot 2022; 36:1522-1530. [PMID: 36263873 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2022.2132221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Research on the Spatial Quantity Association of Response Codes (SQUARC) has documented associations between spatial position and mental representations of quantity. Large quantities are associated with right and top, small quantities are associated with left and bottom. Resulting compatibility effects have largely been documented for response speed and judgment accuracy. Recently, employing luminance as quantity, Löffler et al. (2022) generalised such SQUARC compatibility effects to affective judgments, showing that horizontally SQUARC-compatible stimulus arrangements (i.e. bright on the right, dark on the left side) are liked more than SQUARC-incompatible arrangements. The present Experiment 1 (N = 296) replicated this horizontal compatibility effect, dz = .18, and generalised it to vertical luminance SQUARC compatibility (i.e. bright on the top, dark on the bottom), dz = .22. Experiments 2a-b (total N = 259; Experiment 2b preregistered) employed stimulus arrangements tilted by 45° to manipulate horizontal and vertical (in)compatibility simultaneously within the same stimulus, finding robust horizontal compatibility effects, but mixed evidence regarding vertical compatibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Gusmão
- Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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9
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Beyond the features: The role of consistency in impressions of trust. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2022. [DOI: 10.32872/spb.9233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
To be successful in social life, perceivers need to form impressions of other people's trustworthiness. Current models of this process emphasize the role of specific descriptive content–individual verbal and visual features determining trust impressions. In contrast, we describe three lines of our research showing that trust impressions also depend on consistency–a sense of fit–between features. The first line demonstrates that consistency of brief verbal characterizations increases trust judgments. The second line shows that trust judgments and behaviors are boosted by incidental consistency between the foreground and background of visual scenes. The third line observes that consistency between facial features enhances impressions of trustworthiness. In all these studies, consistency (measured via subjective ratings, reaction times, and physiological measures) positively and uniquely predicted trust judgments. Overall, our results, and related findings, show that trust impressions are not a simple sum of the contributing parts, but reflect a “gestalt.” We theoretically locate these findings in frameworks emphasizing the role of fluency, predictive coding, and coherence in social cognition.
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Abstract
This paper develops the claim that epistemic feelings are affective experiences. To establish some diagnostic criteria, characteristic features of affective experiences are outlined: valence and arousal. Then, in order to pave the way for showing that epistemic feelings have said features, an initial challenge coming from introspection is addressed. Next, the paper turns to empirical findings showing that we can observe physiological and behavioural proxies for valence and arousal in epistemic tasks that typically rely on epistemic feelings. Finally, it is argued that the affective properties do not only correlate with epistemic feelings but that we, in fact, capitalise on these affective properties to perform the epistemic tasks. In other words: the affective properties in question constitute epistemic feelings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Slawa Loev
- Faculty of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and the Study of Religion, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
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11
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Tae J, Almasi RC, Weldon RB, Lee Y, An C, Sohn MH. Perceived conflict may be negative but resolved conflict is not. Brain Cogn 2021; 150:105721. [PMID: 33761382 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigated how exposure to a conflict stimulus influences the judgment of a subsequent stimulus's valence. We used an affective priming paradigm, presenting a color Stroop stimulus as a prime and a face as a target for an emotion recognition task. When the task for the prime was passive viewing (Experiment 1), congruent primes resulted in faster responses to emotionally positive targets than negative targets. However, this positivity bias disappeared following incongruent primes. In Experiment 2, instead of passive viewing, participants were asked to indicate the congruency of the prime, and the positivity bias was significant following the congruent prime but not following the incongruent prime. In Experiments 3 and 4, participants performed the conventional Stroop task on the prime, therefore resolving the conflict when the prime was incongruent. Experiment 3 adopted an equal proportion of congruent and incongruent primes. Experiment 4 adopted twice as many congruent primes as incongruent primes. In both experiments, the positivity bias was not significant regardless of the congruency of the prime. These results suggest that detecting conflict may interfere with positive affect or promote negative affect, therefore reducing the positivity bias. Once the conflict is resolved, however, the negative valence may disappear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jini Tae
- The George Washington University, United States; Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea
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12
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Hesp C, Smith R, Parr T, Allen M, Friston KJ, Ramstead MJD. Deeply Felt Affect: The Emergence of Valence in Deep Active Inference. Neural Comput 2021; 33:398-446. [PMID: 33253028 PMCID: PMC8594962 DOI: 10.1162/neco_a_01341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The positive-negative axis of emotional valence has long been recognized as fundamental to adaptive behavior, but its origin and underlying function have largely eluded formal theorizing and computational modeling. Using deep active inference, a hierarchical inference scheme that rests on inverting a model of how sensory data are generated, we develop a principled Bayesian model of emotional valence. This formulation asserts that agents infer their valence state based on the expected precision of their action model-an internal estimate of overall model fitness ("subjective fitness"). This index of subjective fitness can be estimated within any environment and exploits the domain generality of second-order beliefs (beliefs about beliefs). We show how maintaining internal valence representations allows the ensuing affective agent to optimize confidence in action selection preemptively. Valence representations can in turn be optimized by leveraging the (Bayes-optimal) updating term for subjective fitness, which we label affective charge (AC). AC tracks changes in fitness estimates and lends a sign to otherwise unsigned divergences between predictions and outcomes. We simulate the resulting affective inference by subjecting an in silico affective agent to a T-maze paradigm requiring context learning, followed by context reversal. This formulation of affective inference offers a principled account of the link between affect, (mental) action, and implicit metacognition. It characterizes how a deep biological system can infer its affective state and reduce uncertainty about such inferences through internal action (i.e., top-down modulation of priors that underwrite confidence). Thus, we demonstrate the potential of active inference to provide a formal and computationally tractable account of affect. Our demonstration of the face validity and potential utility of this formulation represents the first step within a larger research program. Next, this model can be leveraged to test the hypothesized role of valence by fitting the model to behavioral and neuronal responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casper Hesp
- Department of Psychology and Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands; Institute for Advanced Study, University of Amsterdam, 1012 GC Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
| | - Ryan Smith
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK 74136, U.S.A.
| | - Thomas Parr
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
| | - Micah Allen
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark; Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus 8200, Denmark; and Cambridge Psychiatry, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 8AH, U.K.
| | - Karl J Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
| | - Maxwell J D Ramstead
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.; Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Culture, Mind, and Brain Program, McGill University, Montreal H3A 0G4, QC, Canada
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Is it all about the feeling? Affective and (meta-)cognitive mechanisms underlying the truth effect. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 86:12-36. [PMID: 33484352 PMCID: PMC8821071 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01459-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
People are more likely to judge repeatedly perceived statements as true. A decisive explanation for this so-called truth effect is that the repeated information can be processed more fluently than new information and that this fluency experience renders the information more familiar and trustworthy. Little is known, however, regarding whether and how affective states and dispositional cognitive preferences influence the truth effect. To this end, we conducted two experiments in which we manipulated (a) processing fluency via repetition, (b) the time interval (10 min vs. 1 week) between repetitions, and (c) short-term affective states using the presentation of emotional faces (Experiment 1) or the presence of an irrelevant source for changes in affective states (Experiment 2). Additionally, we assessed the dispositional variables need for cognitive closure (NCC), preference for deliberation (PD) and preference for intuition (PI). Results of Experiment 1 showed that the truth effect was significantly reduced for statements that were followed by a negative prime, although this was the case only for the longer repetition lag. Furthermore, higher NCC and lower PD scores were associated with an increased truth effect. Results of Experiment 2 replicated the moderating role of NCC and further showed that participants, who were provided with an alternative source for changes in their affective states, showed a reduced truth effect. Together, the findings suggest that (a) fluency-related changes in affective states may be (co-)responsible for the truth effect, (b) the truth effect is decreased when the repetition interval is long rather than short, and (c) the truth effect is increased for individuals with a higher need for cognitive closure. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
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Intuitive judgments in depression and the role of processing fluency and positive valence: A preregistered replication study. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY IN EUROPE 2020; 2:e2593. [PMID: 36398058 PMCID: PMC9645470 DOI: 10.32872/cpe.v2i4.2593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recent preliminary evidence indicates that depression is associated with impaired intuitive information processing. The current study aimed at replicating these findings and to move one step further by exploring whether factors known as triggering intuition (positivity, processing fluency) also affect intuition in patients with depression. Method We pre-registered and tested five hypotheses using data from 35 patients with depression and 35 healthy controls who performed three versions of the Judgment of Semantic Coherence Task (JSCT, Bowers et al., 1990). This task operationalizes intuition as the inexplicable and sudden detection of semantic coherence. Results Results revealed that depressed patients and healthy controls did not differ in their general intuitive performance (Hypothesis 1). We further found that fluency did not significantly affect depressed patients’ coherence judgments (H2a) and that the assumed effect of fluency on coherence judgments was not moderated by depression (H2b). Finally, we found that triads positive in valence were more likely to be judged as coherent as compared to negative word triads in the depressed sample (H3a), but this influence of positive (vs. negative) valence on coherence judgments did not significantly differ between the two groups (H3b). Conclusion Overall the current study did not replicate findings from previous research regarding intuitive semantic coherence detection deficits in depression. However, our findings suggest that enhancing positivity in depressed patients may facilitate their ability to see meaning in their environment and to take intuitive decision. The pre-registered replication study did not find intuition deficits in patients with depression. Processing fluency did not affect coherence judgments in depressed patients or healthy controls. Depressed patients and healthy controls use positive valence as cue for intuitive coherence judgments. Future studies should test whether enhancing positivity in depressed patients boosts their ability to find meaning (e.g., meaning in life).
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Abstract
Previous research on the spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC) has demonstrated that SNARC-compatible digit arrangements are processed faster and more accurately than SNARC-incompatible arrangements. Concurrently, processing speed and accuracy have been conceptualised as indicating processing fluency - the ease of information processing - which has been shown to entail affective downstream consequences. Bridging these two research lines for the first time, we investigated whether digit arrangements that are compatible to this association are affectively preferred to association-incompatible digit arrangements. In a line of four experiments (total N = 786), German participants were asked to indicate how much they like the overall appearance of two digits that appear at the right and at the left side of the screen. Results from three of the four experiments suggest that digit arrangements that are compatible with this spatial-numerical association indeed trigger positive feelings. These preference patterns were not moderated by the horizontal distance between the two digits, pointing towards a stable phenomenon that is insensitive to contextual spatial cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Gerten
- Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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16
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Sounds sweet, sounds bitter: How the presence of certain sounds in a brand name can alter expectations about the product’s taste. Food Qual Prefer 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.103918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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17
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The unique social sense of puerperium: Increased empathy and Schadenfreude in parents of newborns. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5760. [PMID: 32238840 PMCID: PMC7113282 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62622-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Pregnancy and puerperium are typified by marked biobehavioral changes. These changes, which are traceable in both mothers and fathers, play an important role in parenthood and may modulate social cognition abilities. However, the latter effects remain notably unexplored in parents of newborns (PNs). To bridge this gap, we assessed empathy and social emotions (envy and Schadenfreude) in 55 PNs and 60 controls (childless healthy participants without a romantic relationship or sexual intercourse in the previous 48 hours). We used facial electromyography to detect physiological signatures of social emotion processing. Results revealed higher levels of affective empathy and Schadenfreude in PNs, the latter pattern being accompanied by increased activity of the corrugator suppercilii region. These effects were not explained by potential confounding variables (educational level, executive functioning, depression, stress levels, hours of sleep). Our novel findings suggest that PNs might show social cognition changes crucial for parental bonding and newborn care.
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18
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Motoki K, Saito T, Park J, Velasco C, Spence C, Sugiura M. Tasting names: Systematic investigations of taste-speech sounds associations. Food Qual Prefer 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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19
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Berger A, Mitschke V, Dignath D, Eder A, van Steenbergen H. The face of control: Corrugator supercilii tracks aversive conflict signals in the service of adaptive cognitive control. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13524. [PMID: 31930536 PMCID: PMC7079141 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive control is the ability to monitor, evaluate, and adapt behavior in the service of long‐term goals. Recent theories have proposed that the integral negative emotions elicited by conflict are critical for the adaptive adjustment of cognitive control. However, evidence for the negative valence of conflict in cognitive control tasks mainly comes from behavioral studies that interrupted trial sequences, making it difficult to directly test the link between conflict‐induced affect and subsequent increases in cognitive control. In the present study, we therefore use online measures of valence‐sensitive electromyography (EMG) of the facial corrugator (frowning) and zygomaticus (smiling) muscles while measuring the adaptive cognitive control in a Stroop‐like task. In line with the prediction that conflict is aversive, results showed that conflict relative to non‐conflict trials led to increased activity of the corrugator muscles after correct responses, both in a flanker task (Experiment 1) and in a prime‐probe task (Experiment 2). This conflict‐induced corrugator activity effect correlated marginally with conflict‐driven increases in cognitive control in the next trial in the confound‐minimalized task used in Experiment 2. However, in the absence of performance feedback (Experiment 3), no reliable effect of conflict was observed in the facial muscle activity despite robust behavioral conflict adaptation. Taken together, our results show that facial EMG can be used as an indirect index of the temporal dynamics of conflict‐induced aversive signals and/or effortful processes in particular when performance feedback is presented, providing important new insights into the dynamic affective nature of cognitive control. Cognitive control plays a pivotal role in goal‐directed behavior. Nevertheless, it still remains elusive what mechanisms determine how cognitive control is recruited. Recent theories have proposed that negative emotions elicited by conflict help to adaptively increase the cognitive control. Although there is indeed accumulating evidence for the negative valence of conflict, no study has yet linked this directly to increased adaptive control. Using valence‐sensitive EMG measures, we here show that conflict is associated with increased activation of the corrugator (frowning) muscle and that the size of this effect predicts the size of conflict‐driven control adjustment in the next trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Berger
- Department of Psychology, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Vanessa Mitschke
- Department of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - David Dignath
- Institute for Psychology, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Andreas Eder
- Department of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Henk van Steenbergen
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden University Institute of Psychology, Leiden, The Netherlands
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20
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Dignath D, Berger A, Spruit IM, van Steenbergen H. Temporal dynamics of error-related corrugator supercilii and zygomaticus major activity: Evidence for implicit emotion regulation following errors. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 146:208-216. [PMID: 31648024 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
According to feedback control models, errors are monitored and inform subsequent control adaptations. Despite these cognitive consequences, errors also have affective consequences. It has been suggested that errors elicit negative affect which might be functional for control adaptations. The present research is concerned with the temporal dynamics of error-related affect. Therefore, we ask how affective responses to errors change over time. Two experiments assessed performance in a Stroop-like task in combination with online measures of facial electromyography that index affective responses specific for muscles that are associated with the expression of negative (corrugator supercilii) and positive affect (zygomaticus major). After errors, corrugator activity first increased relative to correct trials but then decreased (below correct trials) for later time bins. Zygomaticus activity showed a concomitant inverse pattern following errors, such that an initial decrease was followed by a later increase relative to correct trials. Together, this biphasic response in both facial muscles suggests that early negative responses to errors turn into increasingly more positive ones over time. Error-triggered electromyography did marginally predict behavioral adjustments following errors at the inter-individual, but not at the intra-individual level, providing only limited evidence for a functional role of error-related affect for immediate changes in behavior. However, the dynamics of error-related electromyography points to the role of implicit emotion regulation during task performance. We propose that this process helps to maintain homeostasis of positive and negative affect which in the long term could facilitate adaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Iris M Spruit
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Henk van Steenbergen
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the Netherlands.
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21
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Abstract
Presenting information in a coherent fashion has been shown to increase processing fluency, which in turn influences affective responses. The pattern of responses have been explained by two apparently competing accounts: hedonic marking (response to fluency is positive) and fluency amplification (response to fluency can be positive or negative, depending on stimuli valence). This paper proposes that these accounts are not competing explanations, but separate mechanisms, serving different purposes. Therefore, their individual contributions to overall affective responses should be observable. In three experiments, participants were presented with businesses scenarios, with riskiness (valence) and coherence (fluency) manipulated, and affective responses recorded. Results suggested that increasing the fluency of stimuli increases positive affect. If the stimulus is negative, then increasing fluency simultaneously increases negative affect. These affective responses appeared to cancel each other out (Experiment 1) when measured using self-report bipolar scales. However, separate measurement of positive and negative affect, either using unipolar scales (Experiment 2) or using facial electromyography (Experiment 3), provided evidence for co-occurring positive and negative affective responses, and therefore the co-existence of hedonic marking and fluency amplification mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Gamblin
- Department of Organizational Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Adrian P Banks
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK
| | - Philip J A Dean
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK
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22
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Abstract
When people rapidly judge the truth of claims about the present or the past, a related but nonprobative photo can produce "truthiness," an increase in the perceived truth of those claims (Newman, Garry, Bernstein, Kantner, & Lindsay, 2012). What we do not know is the extent to which nonprobative photos cause truthiness for the future. We addressed this issue in four experiments. In each experiment, people judged the truth of claims that the price of certain commodities (such as manganese) would increase (or decrease). Half of the time, subjects saw a photo of the commodity paired with the claim. Experiments 1A and 1B produced a "rosiness" bias: Photos led people to believe positive claims about the future but had very little effect on people's belief in negative claims. In Experiment 2, rosiness occurred for both close and distant future claims. In Experiments 3A and 3B, we tested whether rosiness was tied to the perceived positivity of a claim. Finally, in Experiments 4A and 4B, we tested the rosiness hypothesis and found that rosiness was unique to claims about the future: When people made the same judgments about the past, photos produced the usual truthiness pattern for both positive and negative claims. Considered all together, our data fit with the idea that photos may operate as hypothesis-confirming evidence for people's tendency to anticipate rosy future outcomes.
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23
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Zander-Schellenberg T, Remmers C, Zimmermann J, Thommen S, Lieb R. It was intuitive, and it felt good: a daily diary study on how people feel when making decisions. Cogn Emot 2019; 33:1505-1513. [PMID: 30688133 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2019.1570914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
In daily life, people make plenty of decisions, either intuitively or based on analysis. So far, research has examined when decision-making leads to correct or biased outcomes. In the present study, we adopted a different perspective and explored how decision-making is associated with how people feel. In an observational study, 134 healthy participants retrospectively reported on six evenings which decisions they had made during that day (total N = 3,850 decisions). They were also asked to indicate how they had felt before/after each decision. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that (a) people reported having felt better prior to intuitive as compared to analytical decisions, (b) people reported having felt better after as compared to before the decision, and (c) this increase in positive feeling was more pronounced for intuitive decisions. The latter two associations were robust to statistically controlling for the life domain in which the decisions occurred, the decisions' importance and ease, and daily mood. The retrospective design and the single-item measure of mood are among the limitations of this study. Altogether, the results are in line with the idea that making everyday life decisions intuitively makes people feel good.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thea Zander-Schellenberg
- a Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, University of Basel , Basel , Switzerland
| | - Carina Remmers
- b Department of Clinical Psychological Intervention, Freie Universität Berlin , Berlin , Germany
| | | | - Stefan Thommen
- a Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, University of Basel , Basel , Switzerland
| | - Roselind Lieb
- a Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, University of Basel , Basel , Switzerland
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24
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van Kampen HS. The principle of consistency and the cause and function of behaviour. Behav Processes 2018; 159:42-54. [PMID: 30562561 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Revised: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
At all levels of information processing in the brain, neural and cognitive structures tend towards a state of consistency. When two or more simultaneously active cognitive structures are logically inconsistent, arousal is increased, which activates processes with the expected consequence of increasing consistency and decreasing arousal. Increased arousal is experienced as aversive, while the expected or actual decrease in arousal as a result of increased consistency is experienced as rewarding. Modes of resolution of inconsistency can be divided into purely cognitive solutions, such as changing an attitude or an associated motor plan, and behavioural solutions, such as exploration, aggression, fear, and feeding. Models and theories consistent with the principle of consistency are numerous, have a long and continuing history, and come from many different scientific fields, such as social psychology, perception, neurocognition, learning, motor control, system control, ethology, and stress. The present paper presents a brief overview of relevant information from these fields of research, while focusing mainly on the implications of the principle of consistency for the understanding of the cause and function of behaviour. Based on this overview, it is proposed that all behaviour involving cognitive processing is caused by the activation of inconsistent cognitions and functions to increase perceived consistency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrik S van Kampen
- Cognitive Neurobiology and Helmholtz Institute, Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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25
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Kruglanski AW, Jasko K, Milyavsky M, Chernikova M, Webber D, Pierro A, di Santo D. Cognitive Consistency Theory in Social Psychology: A Paradigm Reconsidered. PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/1047840x.2018.1480619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Arie W. Kruglanski
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Katarzyna Jasko
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Maxim Milyavsky
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Marina Chernikova
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - David Webber
- Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Antonio Pierro
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Rome “La Sapienza,” Rome, Italy
| | - Daniela di Santo
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Rome “La Sapienza,” Rome, Italy
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26
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Abstract
Responses to surprising events are dynamic. We argue that initial responses are primarily driven by the unexpectedness of the surprising event and reflect an interrupted and surprised state in which the outcome does not make sense yet. Later responses, after sense-making, are more likely to incorporate the valence of the outcome itself. To identify initial and later responses to surprising stimuli, we conducted two repetition-change studies and coded the general valence of facial expressions using computerised facial coding and specific facial action using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). Results partly supported our unfolding logic. The computerised coding showed that initial expressions to positive surprises were less positive than later expressions. Moreover, expressions to positive and negative surprises were initially similar, but after some time differentiated depending on the valence of the event. Importantly, these patterns were particularly pronounced in a subset of facially expressive participants, who also showed facial action in the FACS coding. The FACS data showed that the initial phase was characterised by limited facial action, whereas the later increase in positivity seems to be explained by smiling. Conceptual as well as methodological implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marret K Noordewier
- a Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Social and Organizational Psychology , Leiden University , Leiden , The Netherlands
| | - Eric van Dijk
- a Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Social and Organizational Psychology , Leiden University , Leiden , The Netherlands
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27
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't Hart B, Struiksma ME, van Boxtel A, van Berkum JJA. Emotion in Stories: Facial EMG Evidence for Both Mental Simulation and Moral Evaluation. Front Psychol 2018; 9:613. [PMID: 29760671 PMCID: PMC5937160 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial electromyography research shows that corrugator supercilii ("frowning muscle") activity tracks the emotional valence of linguistic stimuli. Grounded or embodied accounts of language processing take such activity to reflect the simulation or "reenactment" of emotion, as part of the retrieval of word meaning (e.g., of "furious") and/or of building a situation model (e.g., for "Mark is furious"). However, the same muscle also expresses our primary emotional evaluation of things we encounter. Language-driven affective simulation can easily be at odds with the reader's affective evaluation of what language describes (e.g., when we like Mark being furious). To examine what happens in such cases, we independently manipulated simulation valence and moral evaluative valence in short narratives. Participants first read about characters behaving in a morally laudable or objectionable fashion: this immediately led to corrugator activity reflecting positive or negative affect. Next, and critically, a positive or negative event befell these same characters. Here, the corrugator response did not track the valence of the event, but reflected both simulation and moral evaluation. This highlights the importance of unpacking coarse notions of affective meaning in language processing research into components that reflect simulation and evaluation. Our results also call for a re-evaluation of the interpretation of corrugator EMG, as well as other affect-related facial muscles and other peripheral physiological measures, as unequivocal indicators of simulation. Research should explore how such measures behave in richer and more ecologically valid language processing, such as narrative; refining our understanding of simulation within a framework of grounded language comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Björn 't Hart
- Languages Literature and Communication, Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Marijn E Struiksma
- Languages Literature and Communication, Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Anton van Boxtel
- Cognitive Neuropsychology, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands
| | - Jos J A van Berkum
- Languages Literature and Communication, Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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28
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Zaleskiewicz T, Gasiorowska A. Tell Me What I Wanted to Hear: Confirmation Effect in Lay Evaluations of Financial Expert Authority. APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY-AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW-PSYCHOLOGIE APPLIQUEE-REVUE INTERNATIONALE 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/apps.12145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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29
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Silva RR, Chrobot N, Newman E, Schwarz N, Topolinski S. Make It Short and Easy: Username Complexity Determines Trustworthiness Above and Beyond Objective Reputation. Front Psychol 2017; 8:2200. [PMID: 29312062 PMCID: PMC5742175 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Can the mere name of a seller determine his trustworthiness in the eye of the consumer? In 10 studies (total N = 608) we explored username complexity and trustworthiness of eBay seller profiles. Name complexity was manipulated through variations in username pronounceability and length. These dimensions had strong, independent effects on trustworthiness, with sellers with easy-to-pronounce or short usernames being rated as more trustworthy than sellers with difficult-to-pronounce or long usernames, respectively. Both effects were repeatedly found even when objective information about seller reputation was available. We hypothesized the effect of name complexity on trustworthiness to be based on the experience of high vs. low processing fluency, with little awareness of the underlying process. Supporting this, participants could not correct for the impact of username complexity when explicitly asked to do so. Three alternative explanations based on attributions of the variations in name complexity to seller origin (ingroup vs. outgroup), username generation method (seller personal choice vs. computer algorithm) and age of the eBay profiles (10 years vs. 1 year) were tested and ruled out. Finally, we show that manipulating the ease of reading product descriptions instead of the sellers’ names also impacts the trust ascribed to the sellers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita R Silva
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Nina Chrobot
- Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Eryn Newman
- Mind and Society Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Norbert Schwarz
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Sascha Topolinski
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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30
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Schubert L, Körner A, Lindau B, Strack F, Topolinski S. Open-Minded Midwifes, Literate Butchers, and Greedy Hooligans-The Independent Contributions of Stereotype Valence and Consistency on Evaluative Judgments. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1723. [PMID: 29062289 PMCID: PMC5640976 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Do people evaluate an open-minded midwife less positively than a caring midwife? Both open-minded and caring are generally seen as positive attributes. However, consistency varies-the attribute caring is consistent with the midwife stereotype while open-minded is not. In general, both stimulus valence and consistency can influence evaluations. Six experiments investigated the respective influence of valence and consistency on evaluative judgments in the domain of stereotyping. In an impression formation paradigm, valence and consistency of stereotypic information about target persons were manipulated orthogonally and spontaneous evaluations of these target persons were measured. Valence reliably influenced evaluations. However, for strongly valenced stereotypes, no effect of consistency was observed. Parameters possibly preventing the occurrence of consistency effects were ruled out, specifically, valence of inconsistent attributes, processing priority of category information, and impression formation instructions. However, consistency had subtle effects on evaluative judgments if the information about a target person was not strongly valenced and experimental conditions were optimal. Concluding, in principle, both stereotype valence and consistency can play a role in evaluative judgments of stereotypic target persons. However, the more subtle influence of consistency does not seem to substantially influence evaluations of stereotyped target persons. Implications for fluency research and stereotype disconfirmation are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Schubert
- Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Anita Körner
- Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Berit Lindau
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Fritz Strack
- Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sascha Topolinski
- Social Cognition Center Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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31
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Olszanowski M, Kaminska OK, Winkielman P. Mixed matters: fluency impacts trust ratings when faces range on valence but not on motivational implications. Cogn Emot 2017; 32:1032-1051. [DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2017.1386622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Piotr Winkielman
- SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, USA
- Behavioural Science Group, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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32
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Topolinski S. Articulation Patterns in Names: A Hidden Route to Consumer Preference. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1086/692820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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33
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Nonprobative photos rapidly lead people to believe claims about their own (and other people's) pasts. Mem Cognit 2017; 44:883-96. [PMID: 27008041 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-016-0603-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Photos lead people to believe that both true and false events have happened to them, even when those photos provide no evidence that the events occurred. Research has shown that these nonprobative photos increase false beliefs when combined with misleading suggestions and repeated exposure to the photo or target event. We propose that photos exert similar effects without those factors, and test that proposition in five experiments. In Experiment 1, people saw the names of several animals and pretended to give food to or take food from each. Then people saw the animal names again, half with a photo of the animal and half alone, and decided whether they had an experience with each. The photos led people to believe they had experiences with the animals. Moreover, Experiments 2-5 provided evidence that photos exerted these effects by making it easier to bring related thoughts and images to mind-a feeling that people mistook as evidence of genuine experience. In each experiment, photos led people to believe positive claims about the past (but not negative claims), consistent with evidence that feelings of ease selectively increase positive judgments. Experiment 4 also showed that photos (like other manipulations of ease) bias people's judgments broadly, producing false beliefs about other people's pasts. Finally, in Experiment 5, photos exerted more powerful effects when they depicted unfamiliar animals, and thus could most help bring information to mind. These findings suggest that nonprobative photos can distort the past without other factors that encourage false beliefs, and that they operate by helping related thoughts and images come to mind.
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34
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Elkins-Brown N, Saunders B, He F, Inzlicht M. Stability and reliability of error-related electromyography over the corrugator supercilii with increasing trials. Psychophysiology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Blair Saunders
- Department of Psychology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Frank He
- Department of Psychology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Michael Inzlicht
- Department of Psychology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Rotman School of Management; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
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35
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Öllinger M, von Müller A. Search and Coherence-Building in Intuition and Insight Problem Solving. Front Psychol 2017; 8:827. [PMID: 28611702 PMCID: PMC5447020 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Coherence-building is a key concept for a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of intuition and insight problem solving. There are several accounts that address certain aspects of coherence-building. However, there is still no proper framework defining the general principles of coherence-building. We propose a four-stage model of coherence-building. The first stage starts with spreading activation restricted by constraints. This dynamic is a well-defined rule based process. The second stage is characterized by detecting a coherent state. We adopted a fluency account assuming that the ease of information processing indicates the realization of a coherent state. The third stage is designated to evaluate the result of the coherence-building process and assess whether the given problem is solved or not. If the coherent state does not fit the requirements of the task, the process re-enters at stage 1. These three stages characterize intuition. For insight problem solving a fourth stage is necessary, which restructures the given representation after repeated failure, so that a new search space results. The new search space enables new coherent states. We provide a review of the most important findings, outline our model, present a large number of examples, deduce potential new paradigms and measures that might help to decipher the underlying cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Öllinger
- Parmenides Center for the Study of ThinkingPullach, Germany.,Psychological Department, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität MünchenMunich, Germany
| | - Albrecht von Müller
- Parmenides Center for the Study of ThinkingPullach, Germany.,Philosophical Department, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität MünchenMunich, Germany
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36
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Jakesch M, Goller J, Leder H. Positive fEMG Patterns with Ambiguity in Paintings. Front Psychol 2017; 8:785. [PMID: 28559872 PMCID: PMC5432603 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Whereas ambiguity in everyday life is often negatively evaluated, it is considered key in art appreciation. In a facial EMG study, we tested whether the positive role of visual ambiguity in paintings is reflected in a continuous affective evaluation on a subtle level. We presented ambiguous (disfluent) and non-ambiguous (fluent) versions of Magritte paintings and found that M. Zygomaticus major activation was higher and M. corrugator supercilii activation was lower for ambiguous than for non-ambiguous versions. Our findings reflect a positive continuous affective evaluation to visual ambiguity in paintings over the 5 s presentation time. We claim that this finding is indirect evidence for the hypothesis that visual stimuli classified as art, evoke a safe state for indulging into experiencing ambiguity, challenging the notion that processing fluency is generally related to positive affect.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Juergen Goller
- Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, University of ViennaVienna, Austria
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37
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People Like Logical Truth: Testing the Intuitive Detection of Logical Value in Basic Propositions. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0169166. [PMID: 28036402 PMCID: PMC5201307 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies on logical reasoning have suggested that people are intuitively aware of the logical validity of syllogisms or that they intuitively detect conflict between heuristic responses and logical norms via slight changes in their feelings. According to logical intuition studies, logically valid or heuristic logic no-conflict reasoning is fluently processed and induces positive feelings without conscious awareness. One criticism states that such effects of logicality disappear when confounding factors such as the content of syllogisms are controlled. The present study used abstract propositions and tested whether people intuitively detect logical value. Experiment 1 presented four logical propositions (conjunctive, biconditional, conditional, and material implications) regarding a target case and asked the participants to rate the extent to which they liked the statement. Experiment 2 tested the effects of matching bias, as well as intuitive logic, on the reasoners' feelings by manipulating whether the antecedent or consequent (or both) of the conditional was affirmed or negated. The results showed that both logicality and matching bias affected the reasoners' feelings, and people preferred logically true targets over logically false ones for all forms of propositions. These results suggest that people intuitively detect what is true from what is false during abstract reasoning. Additionally, a Bayesian mixed model meta-analysis of conditionals indicated that people's intuitive interpretation of the conditional "if p then q" fits better with the conditional probability, q given p.
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Abstract
According to the processing fluency theory, higher ease of processing a stimulus leads to higher feelings of fluency and more positive evaluations. However, it is unclear whether feelings of fluency are positive or an unspecific activation and whether feelings of fluency are directly attributed to the stimulus even without much positive feelings. In two experiments, we tested how variations in the ease of processing influenced feelings of fluency and affect, in terms of evaluations (Exp. 1) and physiological responses (Exp. 2). Higher feelings of fluency were associated with more positive stimulus ratings and did not affect stimulus arousal ratings, but perceivers' feelings showed higher felt arousal ratings and left felt valence ratings unaffected. Physiological indices only showed small effects of a subtle positive reaction. These findings show that feelings of fluency can be sources of positive object evaluations, but do not affect one's own positive feelings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Forster
- 1 Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Helmut Leder
- 1 Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrich Ansorge
- 1 Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria
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The Impact of Experience on Affective Responses during Action Observation. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0154681. [PMID: 27149106 PMCID: PMC4858140 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceiving others in action elicits affective and aesthetic responses in observers. The present study investigates the extent to which these responses relate to an observer's general experience with observed movements. Facial electromyographic (EMG) responses were recorded in experienced dancers and non-dancers as they watched short videos of movements performed by professional ballet dancers. Responses were recorded from the corrugator supercilii (CS) and zygomaticus major (ZM) muscles, both of which show engagement during the observation of affect-evoking stimuli. In the first part of the experiment, participants passively watched the videos while EMG data were recorded. In the second part, they explicitly rated how much they liked each movement. Results revealed a relationship between explicit affective judgments of the movements and facial muscle activation only among those participants who were experienced with the movements. Specifically, CS activity was higher for disliked movements and ZM activity was higher for liked movements among dancers but not among non-dancers. The relationship between explicit liking ratings and EMG data in experienced observers suggests that facial muscles subtly echo affective judgments even when viewing actions that are not intentionally emotional in nature, thus underscoring the potential of EMG as a method to examine subtle shifts in implicit affective responses during action observation.
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Topolinski S, Boecker L. Mouth-watering words: Articulatory inductions of eating-like mouth movements increase perceived food palatability. Appetite 2016; 99:112-120. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2016.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2015] [Revised: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Topolinski S, Bakhtiari G, Erle TM. Can I cut the Gordian tnok? The impact of pronounceability, actual solvability, and length on intuitive problem assessments of anagrams. Cognition 2015; 146:439-52. [PMID: 26550802 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2015.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2015] [Revised: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
When assessing a problem, many cues can be used to predict solvability and solving effort. Some of these cues, however, can be misleading. The present approach shows that a feature of a problem that is actually related to solving difficulty is used as a cue for solving ease when assessing the problem in the first place. For anagrams, it is an established effect that easy-to-pronounce anagrams (e.g., NOGAL) take more time to being solved than hard-to-pronounce anagrams (e.g., HNWEI). However, when assessing an anagram in the first place, individuals use the feature of pronounceability to predict solving ease, because pronounceability is an instantiation of the general mechanism of processing fluency. Participants (total N=536) received short and long anagrams and nonanagrams and judged solvability and solving ease intuitively without actually solving the items. Easy-to-pronounce letter strings were more frequently judged as being solvable than hard-to-pronounce letters strings (Experiment 1), and were estimated to require less effort (Experiments 2, 4-7) and time to be solved (Experiment 3). This effect was robust for short and long items, anagrams and nonanagrams, and presentation timings from 4 down to 0.5s, and affected novices and experts alike. Spontaneous solutions did not mediate this effect. Participants were sensitive to actual solvability even for long anagrams (6-11 letters long) presented only for 500 ms.
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Gerger G, Leder H. Titles change the esthetic appreciations of paintings. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:464. [PMID: 26379527 PMCID: PMC4548445 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Esthetic experiences of artworks are influenced by contextualizing information such as titles. However, how titles contribute to positive esthetic experiences is still an open issue. Considering that fluency, as well as effortful elaborate processing, potentially influence esthetic experiences, we tested how three different title types-semantically matching (fluent), semantically non-matching (non-fluent), and an "untitled" condition (control)-affected experiences of abstract, semi-abstract, and representational art. While participants viewed title/artwork combinations we assessed facial electromygraphic (fEMG) recordings over M. corrugator supercilii and M. zygomaticus major muscle to capture subtle changes in emotional and cognitive processing, and asked for subjective liking and interest. Matching titles, but also the more effortful untitled condition, produced higher liking compared to non-fluently processed, non-matching titles especially in abstract art. These results were reflected in fEMG with stronger M. corrugator activations in the non-matching condition followed by the untitled condition. This implies high cognitive effort as well as negative emotions. Only in the matching condition, M. zygomaticus was more strongly activated indicating positive emotions due to fluency. Interest, however, was hardly affected. These results show that high levels of dis-fluency and cognitive effort reduce liking. However, fluency as well as moderate levels of effort contribute to more positive esthetic experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gernot Gerger
- Department of Psychological Basic Research, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria
| | - Helmut Leder
- Department of Psychological Basic Research, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna Vienna, Austria
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Seibt B, Mühlberger A, Likowski KU, Weyers P. Facial mimicry in its social setting. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1122. [PMID: 26321970 PMCID: PMC4531238 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In interpersonal encounters, individuals often exhibit changes in their own facial expressions in response to emotional expressions of another person. Such changes are often called facial mimicry. While this tendency first appeared to be an automatic tendency of the perceiver to show the same emotional expression as the sender, evidence is now accumulating that situation, person, and relationship jointly determine whether and for which emotions such congruent facial behavior is shown. We review the evidence regarding the moderating influence of such factors on facial mimicry with a focus on understanding the meaning of facial responses to emotional expressions in a particular constellation. From this, we derive recommendations for a research agenda with a stronger focus on the most common forms of encounters, actual interactions with known others, and on assessing potential mediators of facial mimicry. We conclude that facial mimicry is modulated by many factors: attention deployment and sensitivity, detection of valence, emotional feelings, and social motivations. We posit that these are the more proximal causes of changes in facial mimicry due to changes in its social setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beate Seibt
- Department of Psychology, University of OsloOslo, Norway
- Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social, ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de LisboaLisboa, Portugal
| | - Andreas Mühlberger
- Department of Psychology, University of WürzburgWürzburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of RegensburgRegensburg, Germany
| | | | - Peter Weyers
- Department of Psychology, University of WürzburgWürzburg, Germany
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Topolinski S, Erle TM, Reber R. Necker’s smile: Immediate affective consequences of early perceptual processes. Cognition 2015; 140:1-13. [PMID: 25855534 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2015.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2014] [Revised: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 03/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Topolinski S, Zürn M, Schneider IK. What's in and what's out in branding? A novel articulation effect for brand names. Front Psychol 2015; 6:585. [PMID: 26029136 PMCID: PMC4429570 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The present approach exploits the biomechanical connection between articulation and ingestion-related mouth movements to introduce a novel psychological principle of brand name design. We constructed brand names for diverse products with consonantal stricture spots either from the front to the rear of the mouth, thus inwards (e.g., BODIKA), or from the rear to the front, thus outwards (e.g., KODIBA). These muscle dynamics resemble the oral kinematics during either ingestion (inwards), which feels positive, or expectoration (outwards), which feels negative. In 7 experiments (total N = 1261), participants liked products with inward names more than products with outward names (Experiment 1), reported higher purchase intentions (Experiment 2), and higher willingness-to-pay (Experiments 3a–3c, 4, 5), with the price gain amounting to 4–13% of the average estimated product value. These effects occurred across English and German language, under silent reading, for both edible and non-edible products, and even in the presence of a much stronger price determinant, namely fair-trade production (Experiment 5).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Zürn
- Department of Psychology, University of Wuerzburg Würzburg, Germany
| | - Iris K Schneider
- Department of Psychology, VU University of Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Psychology, University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Graf LKM, Landwehr JR. A dual-process perspective on fluency-based aesthetics: the pleasure-interest model of aesthetic liking. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2015; 19:395-410. [PMID: 25742990 DOI: 10.1177/1088868315574978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In this article, we develop an account of how aesthetic preferences can be formed as a result of two hierarchical, fluency-based processes. Our model suggests that processing performed immediately upon encountering an aesthetic object is stimulus driven, and aesthetic preferences that accrue from this processing reflect aesthetic evaluations of pleasure or displeasure. When sufficient processing motivation is provided by a perceiver's need for cognitive enrichment and/or the stimulus' processing affordance, elaborate perceiver-driven processing can emerge, which gives rise to fluency-based aesthetic evaluations of interest, boredom, or confusion. Because the positive outcomes in our model are pleasure and interest, we call it the Pleasure-Interest Model of Aesthetic Liking (PIA Model). Theoretically, this model integrates a dual-process perspective and ideas from lay epistemology into processing fluency theory, and it provides a parsimonious framework to embed and unite a wealth of aesthetic phenomena, including contradictory preference patterns for easy versus difficult-to-process aesthetic stimuli.
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Topolinski S, Strack F. Corrugator activity confirms immediate negative affect in surprise. Front Psychol 2015; 6:134. [PMID: 25762956 PMCID: PMC4329793 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The emotion of surprise entails a complex of immediate responses, such as cognitive interruption, attention allocation to, and more systematic processing of the surprising stimulus. All these processes serve the ultimate function to increase processing depth and thus cognitively master the surprising stimulus. The present account introduces phasic negative affect as the underlying mechanism responsible for this switch in operating mode. Surprising stimuli are schema-discrepant and thus entail cognitive disfluency, which elicits immediate negative affect. This affect in turn works like a phasic cognitive tuning switching the current processing mode from more automatic and heuristic to more systematic and reflective processing. Directly testing the initial elicitation of negative affect by surprising events, the present experiment presented high and low surprising neutral trivia statements to N = 28 participants while assessing their spontaneous facial expressions via facial electromyography. High compared to low surprising trivia elicited higher corrugator activity, indicative of negative affect and mental effort, while leaving zygomaticus (positive affect) and frontalis (cultural surprise expression) activity unaffected. Future research shall investigate the mediating role of negative affect in eliciting surprise-related outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sascha Topolinski
- Department of Psychology, Social and Economic Cognition, University of Cologne , Cologne, Germany
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van Dillen LF, Harris LT, van Dijk WW, Rotteveel M. Looking with different eyes: The psychological meaning of categorisation goals moderates facial reactivity to facial expressions. Cogn Emot 2014; 29:1382-400. [PMID: 25435404 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2014.982514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
In the present research we examined whether the psychological meaning of people's categorisation goals affects facial muscle activity in response to facial expressions of emotion. We had participants associate eye colour (blue, brown) with either a personality trait (extraversion) or a physical trait (light frequency) and asked them to use these associations in a speeded categorisation task of angry, disgusted, happy and neutral faces while assessing participants' response times and facial muscle activity. We predicted that participants would respond differentially to the emotional faces when the categorisation criteria allowed for inferences about a target's thoughts, feelings or behaviour (i.e., when categorising extraversion), but not when these lacked any social meaning (i.e., when categorising light frequency). Indeed, emotional faces triggered facial reactions to facial expressions when participants categorised extraversion, but not when they categorised light frequency. In line with this, only when categorising extraversion did participants' response times indicate a negativity bias replicating previous results. Together, these findings provide further evidence for the contextual nature of people's selective responses to the emotions expressed by others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lotte F van Dillen
- a Institute of Psychology, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition , Leiden University , Leiden , the Netherlands
| | - Lasana T Harris
- b Institute of Psychology , Duke University , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Wilco W van Dijk
- a Institute of Psychology, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition , Leiden University , Leiden , the Netherlands
| | - Mark Rotteveel
- c Institute of Psychology , University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam , the Netherlands.,d Cognitive Science Center Amsterdam , University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam , the Netherlands
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Remmers C, Topolinski S, Michalak J. Mindful(l) intuition: Does mindfulness influence the access to intuitive processes? JOURNAL OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2014.950179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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The pleasantness of visual symmetry: always, never or sometimes. PLoS One 2014; 9:e92685. [PMID: 24658112 PMCID: PMC3962427 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 02/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
There is evidence of a preference for visual symmetry. This is true from mate selection in the animal world to the aesthetic appreciation of works of art. It has been proposed that this preference is due to processing fluency, which engenders positive affect. But is visual symmetry pleasant? Evidence is mixed as explicit preferences show that this is the case. In contrast, implicit measures show that visual symmetry does not spontaneously engender positive affect but it depends on participants intentionally assessing visual regularities. In four experiments using variants of the affective priming paradigm, we investigated when visual symmetry engenders positive affect. Findings showed that, when no Stroop-like effects or post-lexical mechanisms enter into play, visual symmetry spontaneously elicits positive affect and results in affective congruence effects.
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